True Stories Sharing the Art and Science of Fascinating Insects

The Shoot Me! Moth

We saw it at several wetlands that Angela, Janet, Barbara Ann and the rest of us visited. Never having seen it before, this moth at first seemed well, plain. I’d never seen it anywhere in western Pennsylvania, but there it was, in more than one habitat in very southern Ohio.

Angela had a name for it, but names just don’t stick so fast for me. Visuals do. I remember faces I’ve seen before, remember them for a very long time. I remember butterflies and moths that I’ve seen before, just about 100% of the time.

As with many butterflies that were lifers for me on that June 2017 trip, this one was new. The thing about it was, though determined to conserve my use of my Fuji Velvia film, that moth seemed to be sending me telepathic messages: Shoot me! Shoot me!

This agreeable image shares that yellow head, finely paired antennae, and an almost complete ‘Peace’ symbol on those crisply matched wings.